TAMPA, FLA., DEC. 15, 2019 (AP) – David Collins had a season-high 23 points and became the 20th player in school history to score 1,000 career points, and South Florida romped past Drexel 81-61 on Sunday.
Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) had 19 points for South Florida (6-4), which earned its fourth consecutive home victory. Justin Brown (Atlanta) added 16 points, hitting three 3-pointers to move into the career top 10 with 119.
South Florida totaled 46 second-half points, a season best for the team. The Bulls were up three when Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) hit a 3-pointer at the 6:29 mark, igniting a 16-0 run to break the game open.
Zach Walton had 21 points for the Dragons (5-6) and Camren Wynter added 19.
It was the first matchup between the two schools.
Quotable
Head coach Brian Gregory’s thoughts on the win:
“Our intensity and our energy were tremendous, as indicated by 17 offensive rebounds, forcing 19 turnovers, and we only had eight (turnovers)… Then, we made some big free throws down the stretch after starting off a little slow. I’m proud of our guys. You come off of finals and sometimes that first game after a bit of time, you might be a little sluggish. But I thought our guys came out and played with great energy and gave great effort today in a really quality win.”
David Collins’s thoughts on joining USF’s 1000-point club:
“It’s a great feeling that I hit a milestone, but we got the win and that was the most important thing. It felt good to get it rolling, and get another win with the team.”
Notable
• USF Head Coach Brian Gregory improved to 5-0 all-time on his birthday.
• USF has held seven of its 10 opponents to fewer than 70 points.
• USF is 20-6 at home against non-conference competition under head coach Brian Gregory.
• USF has finished with double-digit offensive rebounds in three of its last four games.
• USF has won seven straight games in the month of December.
Key Stats
25 – USF scored 25 points off turnovers and only surrendered seven.
0 – Drexel leading scorer Zach Walton was held to zero points.
17 – USF held a 17-6 advantage in offensive rebounds.
40 – USF scored 40 points in the paint and allowed just 16 by Drexel.
Up Next
USF travels to Houston, Texas, for a matchup against Utah State on Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. (EST) in The Battleground 2k19.
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF men’s’ basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
About USF Men’s Basketball
The USF men’s basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, 2017, Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history. He previously led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State’s Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory owns nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship. In his second season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to the best win turnaround in the NCAA, the most single-season wins in school history and the 2019 College Basketball Invitational championship.
USF has retired three numbers in its 47-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids, appeared in the NIT eight times and won the 2019 CBI championship.
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
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